A Caged Bird's Song
by Saturn's Spawn
Summary: A short story about the poignant trials of friendship and possibly more… HotaruNeji


**Disclaimer**: I don't own Sailor Moon or Naruto. I also don't own Tai and Matt from Digimon (although they're barely mentioned.)

---

Hana no you ni hakanai no nara  
Kimi no moto de sakihokoru deshou  
Soshite egao mitodoketa ato  
Sotto hitori chitteyuku deshou

- Moments, Ayumi Hamasaki

---

When an orphaned Hotaru turned four, she met Neji Hyuuga, and they became fast friends. He stood up for her when everyone else said she was different because she had a trait that no one else had, because she had violet eyes.

When Neji turned four, he met Hotaru Tomoe, and they became fast friends. She stood by his side when no one else would because he had what everyone called the "Byakugan", but she didn't leave. Because to her, he was only Neji, a boy with white eyes.

After only a few short weeks, they became best friends.

Even though it was winter, there was never snow in the Fire Country. The date was December 26, and that evening, Neji's father had taken the two of them outside without any explanation. They neither questioned his unknown reasons nor noticed his remorseful eyes.

"Neji, we're going to be friends forever, right?" Hotaru asked curiously, kicking her feet back and forth in the Nakano River. She leaned back, allowing her arms to support her as she turned her head to the side.

"Of course we are, baka," Neji responded as he continued skipping stones that he found. Then, he dropped to the ground next to Hotaru. There were no fireflies or chirping crickets as there had been a few months ago when they first met, but that didn't matter. They were content to sit in the companionable silence that surrounded them.

"Promise?" Hotaru lifted her little pinky up in the air, smiling when she felt it entwined with Neji's as he responded, "Promise."

"Tomorrow, a shinobi from Kumogakure is coming to sign a peace treaty. There's going to be a ceremony and everything. Do you want to go with me?" She was hopeful.

"Tomorrow's Hinata's birthday. I can't go." Neji replied apologetically. He noticed how her shoulders slumped at his response. Feeling guilty, Neji said, "I'll play with you another day."

But before she could say something, Hizashi called to Neji. Waving goodbye, Neji disappeared with his father and left Hotaru alone at the Nakano River.

The date was December 26. Neji's promise was all, but forgotten.

-

It had been almost a week since Hotaru had last seen Neji. There had been talk around the village about something that occurred within the Hyuuga clan, but no one knew what it was exactly. Hotaru paid no heed. Instead, she had been running to find Neji while bearing exciting news.

She found Neji standing numbly near the Nakano River. "Neji!"

When he turned around, Hotaru stood before him with her hands on her knees as she tried to catch her breath. "Neji, I'm getting adopted! I'm going to have a fami—"

"Father died."

Hotaru stopped talking immediately as widened eyes showed her shock. It was during that few seconds of deafening silence that Hotaru took the time to examine Neji's countenance fully. She felt guilty for not noticing his ashen face. He seemed dazed as though what he had just said hadn't sunk in to him.

And Neji learned a lesson that day:

Shinobi don't know when they die. They must live every day as if it were their last.

After news of Hizashi Hyuuga's death simmered down around the village, Neji finally took the time to visit Hotaru and her family. He found her playing at a local park with her new parents, and a small part in him felt betrayed. He didn't have a family. He had people who could take away his life with a single jutsu. He wondered if he ever had a family other than his father.

He watched her turn around with a smile on her face when she seemed to have recognized him. Not that he was very _un_recognizable with his Byakugan eyes. It pained him to realize that he didn't belong here, where people were so happy.

And Neji realized he was no longer just a boy with white eyes.

Hotaru waved excitedly to her friend, thinking he had seen her. She became confused when Neji merely turned away and walked back to the Hyuuga estate.

"Did I do something, Haruka-papa?" Hotaru asked, hoping her new father-figure would have an answer. Haruka, a Jounin, shook her head.

"Maybe he'll play with you tomorrow," Michiru, a medic nin, said, hoping to placate Hotaru's worries. But Neji wasn't there the next day, and every time Hotaru saw Neji around the village, he would turn away as though he knew she was coming.

And Hotaru learned how perceptive Byakugan eyes were.

-

The next time they saw each other was at the Academy. Hotaru painfully noticed the difference in Neji's personality over the years. He didn't have many friends, and those who tried to be, he had shunned away. But whenever he was near her, he ignored her completely, and that hurt so much more than when he glared at others.

However, Hotaru made new friends, although she never gave up on Neji. One day, she met Rock Lee, a boy who could use neither ninjutsu nor genjutsu, and he became a sort of brother to her.

That day Neji regarded Lee as a failure.

When Hotaru turned twelve, she learned a terrible secret by chance. Her father, now long dead, was mad. He experimented on people; he was considered a mad scientist on par with a missing nin named Orochimaru.

And his most distinctive trait was a pair of violet eyes.

But no one was there to comfort her when she learned the truth because both of her parents were on a long mission at the time. She kept her secret to herself, but she wanted to talk to Neji.

Because she needed a friend now more than ever.

"What's your problem, Neji?" Hotaru confronted Neji one day, refusing to let him leave until she got her answers. He had been training in the woods by himself when Hotaru came to him. Even though he could see her coming long before she arrived, he didn't make a move to leave. He stayed where he was.

"If this is about Lee, then don—"

"This has nothing to do with Lee, and everything to do with you," Hotaru hissed, pressing her index finger against Neji's chest. However, Hotaru felt her anger fade away when she pulled Neji closer to her, holding onto him as if he was a lifeline. Neji neither pushed her away nor returned her embrace. This had been the first warm gesture he received since his father died. "I missed you," she confessed against the fabric of his shirt.

"I never left." Neji replied.

But even he didn't believe that.

-

Slowly, they started to rebuild their friendship. In that time, Neji had earned the title, "Number One Rookie."

After they graduated the Academy, they had been sorted into teams of three. Neji was teamed up with Lee and a girl named Tenten. Their sensei was a man named Might Gai. Hotaru was teamed up with a boy named Tai and a boy named Yamato, who they nicknamed Matt for short. Their sensei, Setsuna Meiou, was the exact opposite of Gai's eccentric personality.

When Hotaru and Neji were thirteen, they entered the Chuunin exam.

That day before they entered the Forest of Death, Hotaru pulled Neji to the side, away from his team, and wished him good luck. "Not that you need it since Fate's on your side." He didn't say anything and returned to his team, but Hotaru didn't mind; she received something far more precious, a small smile from the boy with white eyes.

"Hotaru, let's go," Tai called to her as they headed into the Forest of Death. Hotaru nodded and followed her teammates into the dense foliage. At the same time, Team Gai raced leapt from tree branch to tree branch, ready to complete the second part of the Chuunin Exam.

If a person were to let their guard down for even a moment, a moment would have been enough to take a person's life. Still, long after the test began, Hotaru couldn't help but wonder as she looked up to tall trees above her: _Is Neji all right?_

And then the enemy attacked.

They agreed to split up and scout the area, and Neji had already known where he was going to go. He didn't have to worry about Tenten because he had trained with her. And he already knew Lee was going to find that Sakura girl. A small part of him was relieved that Lee didn't try to find Hotaru.

Of course, his unfortunate encounter with one team from the Rookie 9 had delayed him a bit, but that didn't matter. Then, he heard something he never wanted to hear again: "Hotaru! Wake up!" The voice was filled with worry.

Neji was gone in an instant.

When Neji arrived, hidden from plain sight high in the branch of a tree, he found Hotaru, gravely wounded, being shaken by Matt, who was also wounded, while Tai, no better off than Matt, tried his best to fend off a team of Rain nin, who were trying to get the Earth Scroll that Hotaru held in her hand. Soundlessly, Neji got up from his place and landed in front of Hotaru, never facing her.

Long after the Chuunin Exams were over, Hotaru would learn that she was better off unconscious. That way, she didn't have to witness Neji ruthlessly cripple the three Rain nin.

She was beaten and bloodied; he didn't want to look at her since he left the battle virtually unscathed. However, he was relieved to learn that she would live provided she get medical attention.

But before they parted ways, Matt handed Neji an Earth Scroll, which was just what his team needed since they had a Heaven Scroll. Tai, who had one of Hotaru's arm slung over his shoulder, remarked, "If we lost that scroll to anyone, she would've wanted it to be you." But he didn't want it. He wanted to earn his scroll.

So why was he clutching the Earth Scroll with such a fierce grip?

-

Hotaru's wounds, some internal, were beginning to heal when Neji came to visit her in the hospital. He sat on a chair by her bedside before telling her about his advancing to the finals, which would take place in a month. He never told her who his opponent was, but she was happy for him. Neji, however, didn't share her enthusiasm.

"What's wrong? You should be proud," Hotaru commented.

"Losing to a destined failure is not much of an accomplishment." He replied disdainfully. Hotaru frowned, but said nothing more on the subject. And she never learned how Hinata Hyuuga obtained such life-threatening wounds.

"I heard Lee is in the infirmary. Is he all right?" She noticed how he clenched his fists.

"He'll live. Tenten is visiting him right now." Hotaru nodded.

Suddenly, Neji straightened himself causing Hotaru to tilt her head to the side in confusion. Before she could ask, however, the door to her room opened, revealing her parents, Setsuna-sensei, Tai and Matt. Haruka eyed Neji suspiciously, as though he was about to attack Hotaru, but dismissed the thought when Michiru said she had packed a lunch for everyone.

Everyone watched Tai and Matt argue over the last rice ball, so no one noticed Neji's discreet departure.

For the next month, Neji trained constantly.

-

Before heading into the arena, Neji was pulled to the side by Hotaru. "Neji, good luck." He said nothing. He didn't even smile as he turned and walked away.

Honestly… he didn't want her to be here because he knew, he just knew, that once she sees his fight, he will truly no longer be the boy with white eyes to her anymore.

But Fate was never kind.

When Hotaru found a seat, she was greeted by a familiar voice, "Hello, Hotaru-san." At this, Hotaru turned around to find Hinata Hyuuga sitting behind her. She smiled and returned the greeting, "Hello, Hinata-chan."

Naruto was almost late, and Sasuke never arrived.

Then Hotaru heard Hinata cough behind her, she turned around and questioned, "Hinata, are you all right?" Hinata nodded, although she gave another weak cough.

"Don't worry about me. The match is about to start."

Although she wasn't completely convinced, Hotaru turned around to see Neji and Naruto facing each other in the arena. Suddenly, Naruto raised a clenched fist and said, "I will win!"

She listened to Neji goad Naruto when a sudden gust of wind filled the arena, and the match began followed by cheers from the crowd.

Everyone was amazed by Neji's skill and mastery of the Jyuuken. However, Hotaru wasn't paying attention to that. What she kept her focus on was how entirely different Neji acted. As the battle raged on, Neji proved he had the advantage over Naruto, all the while explaining to Naruto how Fate had already determined whether a person was a genius or a failure.

Hinata's coughing worsened.

"Hey, you're bleeding!" Kiba said worriedly as he placed a hand on Hinata's back. Hotaru turned around to see Hinata coughing blood. Internal bleeding. "You're still hurt from the match."

Naruto started to ask Neji how he could be so cruel to Hinata.

Hotaru's eyes widened before she immediately turned her gaze back to Neji. _No_… She never saw the cloaked ANBU carry Hinata away as she brought a hand up to cover her gasp.

Hotaru learned the true extent of Neji's hatred for the Main House.

-

The entire stadium was silent as Naruto stood over Neji, who lay on the ground, before the arena erupted with cheers. After his defeat, Neji was taken away to an infirmary, and Hotaru left the stadium. As she walked up the steps, she passed Tai and Matt, who looked up to her with concern. She smiled faintly and disappeared from their sight. She never stayed to learn that Sasuke Uchiha still hadn't arrived.

"Neji…"

Had he always been that way? She needed to know.

As she entered the infirmary, passing two medic nin who pointed the way to Neji's room, she walked down the empty corridor before she found herself standing in front of a door.

She made a move to turn the doorknob, but stopped when she heard voices. One was obviously Neji, but the other she could barely recognize.

Suddenly, the door opened, revealing…

"Hyuuga-sama," Hotaru whispered before bowing low.

Hiashi looked at the meek girl in front of him before he turned to Neji, who kept his focus on the girl. He vaguely recalled a young Neji playing with a violet eyed girl, but that girl hasn't come to the estate since Hizashi's death. Looking at Neji, then the girl, and then Neji again, Hiashi merely stepped to the side. Hotaru slowly walked past the Head of the Hyuuga clan who left the room quietly after closing the door. Outside, Hiashi Hyuuga warned the medic nin that no one was to enter this room.

Neither Neji nor Hotaru said anything. The tension in the room was almost suffocating.

Using Byakugan once more, Neji made sure that no one was around.

"Ho—"

SLAP

Neji was stunned into silence as he placed his hand upon the red mark on his face. Hotaru, on the other hand, didn't even try to stop the tears that had welled up in the corner of her eyes. Tears clouded her vision as she collapsed to her knees. "Why didn't you tell me?"

He couldn't find the words he wanted to say.

"You promised me that we would be friends forever. Friends tell each other when their hurt, angry, sad…" Her forehead rested against Neji's knee, "You promised."

He remembered the promise. He remembered the few precious laughs they shared, memories that no one could replace. He remembered.

"I know." Neji kept his gaze locked on the wall across the room.

"Then—"

"When my father died, I was angry. Angry at Main House for killing him. Angry at… you…for abandoning me." Hotaru's eyes widened, but she didn't look up and Neji didn't look down.

"I never abandoned you."

A faint smile surfaced. "I thought you did. I remember seeing how happy you were when you were finally adopted. I felt betrayed," Neji finally looked down to see the top of Hotaru's head, "but deep down, I knew I could never take you away from your happiness."

"Neji…"

"And without you, I became cold. I came to believe that Fate decided everything. After all, Fate decided to take away my father and my only friend."

Hotaru blinked away her tears before she stood, and for the second time, she pulled Neji close to her. Tentatively and hesitently, Neji wrapped his own arms around her.

And a caged bird flew freely.

---

If my life is transient like a flower,  
I'll be in full bloom by your side  
And after watching your smile  
I'll fall alone, quietly

- Moments, Ayumi Hamasaki


End file.
